We live in a world on the brink of radical life extension, the blurring of distinctions between human and artificial intelligence, the seamless blending of brain and machine, and genetic engineering of not only our food sources, but of our entire environment and ourselves. How will we live in such a world and what new daunting choices will we face?
Raymond Mettler and Marcus Takana live in such a near future in which consciousness can be exchanged between bodies, immortality is within reach, and the wealthy old can pay the young to die for them. As the world struggles at the edge of an ecological disaster resulting from Ray’s creation of a genetically modified turf grass gone haywire, the two men enter a secret pact that grants one immortality, the other vast wealth and knowledge in exchange for an abbreviated life, then deal with the unintended consequences of their Faustian bargain.
Raymond Mettler and Marcus Takana live in such a near future in which consciousness can be exchanged between bodies, immortality is within reach, and the wealthy old can pay the young to die for them. As the world struggles at the edge of an ecological disaster resulting from Ray’s creation of a genetically modified turf grass gone haywire, the two men enter a secret pact that grants one immortality, the other vast wealth and knowledge in exchange for an abbreviated life, then deal with the unintended consequences of their Faustian bargain.
The Methuselarity Transformation is an earlier version of A Stand-in for Dying, which has been reimagined and expanded.
From Midwest Book Review
The Methuselarity Transformation is a riveting read and establishes Rick Moskovitz as a master of the science fiction genre. Deftly crafted characters woven into a truly imaginative and complex story, The Methuselarity Transformation is solidly entertaining and very highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library collections.
The Methuselarity Transformation is a riveting read and establishes Rick Moskovitz as a master of the science fiction genre. Deftly crafted characters woven into a truly imaginative and complex story, The Methuselarity Transformation is solidly entertaining and very highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library collections.
From Manhattan Book Review
The Methuselarity Transformation feels like vintage sci-fi, tackling hard questions like social equality, economic disparity, and the consequences of genetic tinkering by crafting a human narrative around them…
Cleverly, Moskovitz's social commentary and scientific insight add a timeless quality to the book, preventing it from feeling too anchored to a 2014-fueled mentality. The Methuselarity Transformation is socially conscious sci-fi, something we could use more of these days.
The Methuselarity Transformation feels like vintage sci-fi, tackling hard questions like social equality, economic disparity, and the consequences of genetic tinkering by crafting a human narrative around them…
Cleverly, Moskovitz's social commentary and scientific insight add a timeless quality to the book, preventing it from feeling too anchored to a 2014-fueled mentality. The Methuselarity Transformation is socially conscious sci-fi, something we could use more of these days.
From ForeWord Clarion Reviews
Moskovitz explores the boundaries of reality and humanity in a way that is both intelligent and exciting.
The Methuselarity Transformation tells the story of Marcus and Ray, two individuals whose lives become intimately entwined through a deal that each makes with a shadowy organization offering immortality at a high price. Full of twists and turns and packed with action from beginning to end, the book is a fresh and innovative offering in the science fiction genre...
Ultimately, The Methuselarity Transformation is an engaging story that is a great deal of fun to read. The writing is intelligent and creative, the story is new and different, and the characters are complex. Science fiction enthusiasts will find much to be excited about in the pages of this book.
Moskovitz explores the boundaries of reality and humanity in a way that is both intelligent and exciting.
The Methuselarity Transformation tells the story of Marcus and Ray, two individuals whose lives become intimately entwined through a deal that each makes with a shadowy organization offering immortality at a high price. Full of twists and turns and packed with action from beginning to end, the book is a fresh and innovative offering in the science fiction genre...
Ultimately, The Methuselarity Transformation is an engaging story that is a great deal of fun to read. The writing is intelligent and creative, the story is new and different, and the characters are complex. Science fiction enthusiasts will find much to be excited about in the pages of this book.
Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
Rick Moskovitz’s science fiction novel, The Methuselarity Transformation, is set in a chilling but all-too-believable near-future where climate change and environmental excess have created a drastically changed world. The author posits a number of thought-provoking ethical questions in his work, including: should a person have the right to purchase another’s future; should access to knowledge be limited to those who can pay for it; and is it moral to market an eternal life formula that only the rich can afford or should it be repressed until everyone can access it? And he does this in a compelling and fast-paced story about two men whose lives repeatedly and ultimately intersect. I found myself considering Marcus and Ray and pondering how alike in some crucial ways they are, and how different, and I was chilled by the spectre of a world reeling from environmental catastrophe. The Methuselarity Transformation reminded me somewhat of the pioneering futuristic movie, Blade Runner, but at the same time it was reminiscent of Dickens’ classic Tale of Two Cities. Actually, if I were hardpressed to offer a few other influences I felt or imagined reading this most intriguing tale, I’m sure I could do so -- and that’s a good thing. I was that involved and invested in the story and the two men who are its heroes. The Methuselarity Transformation is most highly recommended.
Rick Moskovitz’s science fiction novel, The Methuselarity Transformation, is set in a chilling but all-too-believable near-future where climate change and environmental excess have created a drastically changed world. The author posits a number of thought-provoking ethical questions in his work, including: should a person have the right to purchase another’s future; should access to knowledge be limited to those who can pay for it; and is it moral to market an eternal life formula that only the rich can afford or should it be repressed until everyone can access it? And he does this in a compelling and fast-paced story about two men whose lives repeatedly and ultimately intersect. I found myself considering Marcus and Ray and pondering how alike in some crucial ways they are, and how different, and I was chilled by the spectre of a world reeling from environmental catastrophe. The Methuselarity Transformation reminded me somewhat of the pioneering futuristic movie, Blade Runner, but at the same time it was reminiscent of Dickens’ classic Tale of Two Cities. Actually, if I were hardpressed to offer a few other influences I felt or imagined reading this most intriguing tale, I’m sure I could do so -- and that’s a good thing. I was that involved and invested in the story and the two men who are its heroes. The Methuselarity Transformation is most highly recommended.
Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
Set in the near future, The Methuselarity Transformation by Rick Moskovitz plunges the reader into a scientific world laced with limitless possibilities, where immortality, wealth, and knowledge are thrust into the hands of characters at a desperate turn in their lives. Raymond Mettler lives a shallow life for fear of dying, but when the opportunity to have a taste of immortality presents itself, he doesn’t hesitate to get into a dangerous bargain with poor Marcus Takana, who accepts that Mettler’s mind will occupy his body upon his death. But what if something goes wrong with the experiment they are about to undertake?
The Methuselarity Transformation by Rick Moskovitz is a gripping tale that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until they turn the last page, and even then, they will thirst for more. The language is beautiful, the plot spiced with sudden twists and turns that will make readers long to know what happens next, and the complex, compelling characters will most certainly find a privileged place in the hearts of readers. Most interesting is the way Moskovitz handles the human predicament and the social questions that many scientists and conscientious humans grapple with. The creation of two characters that are both complex and different from each other provides a suitable atmosphere within which an interesting social commentary develops. This is one of the rare books I will gladly recommend to lovers of science fiction, especially those who want novelty and grim surprises. It's a book to read and share.
Set in the near future, The Methuselarity Transformation by Rick Moskovitz plunges the reader into a scientific world laced with limitless possibilities, where immortality, wealth, and knowledge are thrust into the hands of characters at a desperate turn in their lives. Raymond Mettler lives a shallow life for fear of dying, but when the opportunity to have a taste of immortality presents itself, he doesn’t hesitate to get into a dangerous bargain with poor Marcus Takana, who accepts that Mettler’s mind will occupy his body upon his death. But what if something goes wrong with the experiment they are about to undertake?
The Methuselarity Transformation by Rick Moskovitz is a gripping tale that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until they turn the last page, and even then, they will thirst for more. The language is beautiful, the plot spiced with sudden twists and turns that will make readers long to know what happens next, and the complex, compelling characters will most certainly find a privileged place in the hearts of readers. Most interesting is the way Moskovitz handles the human predicament and the social questions that many scientists and conscientious humans grapple with. The creation of two characters that are both complex and different from each other provides a suitable atmosphere within which an interesting social commentary develops. This is one of the rare books I will gladly recommend to lovers of science fiction, especially those who want novelty and grim surprises. It's a book to read and share.
Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite
The Methuselarity Transformation by Rick Moskovitz is a winner. In my opinion it is easy to describe a very distant future where the reader can easily suspend disbelief because the time is so distant from everything that's happening now. I think it takes more time and skill to portray our world only a few decades from now and convince the reader that this is certainly a very probable future. Rick Moskovitz convinced me. The characters are still very recognizably human with the same worries, weaknesses, and desires that people have always had. The difference is that in the brave new world of The Methuselarity Transformation, the very rich have the ability to realize these desires.
Marcus Tanaka is young, athletic, and in the prime of life, but he is poor and on one of the lower rungs of the economic ladder when he is offered a deal by a beautiful stranger. He can become rich beyond anything he ever imagined and his body can become immortal...but of course there is a catch. It is a deal with the devil but it is a sweet deal indeed. Marcus accepts and his life becomes irreversibly linked to a man named Ray Mettler and that life will never be the same. The Methuselarity Transformation is one of the most ambitious novels I have read in a long time and Rick Moskovitz does justice to the complex issues he has decided to tackle. If you wonder where our society might be headed you should read The Methuselarity Transformation.
The Methuselarity Transformation by Rick Moskovitz is a winner. In my opinion it is easy to describe a very distant future where the reader can easily suspend disbelief because the time is so distant from everything that's happening now. I think it takes more time and skill to portray our world only a few decades from now and convince the reader that this is certainly a very probable future. Rick Moskovitz convinced me. The characters are still very recognizably human with the same worries, weaknesses, and desires that people have always had. The difference is that in the brave new world of The Methuselarity Transformation, the very rich have the ability to realize these desires.
Marcus Tanaka is young, athletic, and in the prime of life, but he is poor and on one of the lower rungs of the economic ladder when he is offered a deal by a beautiful stranger. He can become rich beyond anything he ever imagined and his body can become immortal...but of course there is a catch. It is a deal with the devil but it is a sweet deal indeed. Marcus accepts and his life becomes irreversibly linked to a man named Ray Mettler and that life will never be the same. The Methuselarity Transformation is one of the most ambitious novels I have read in a long time and Rick Moskovitz does justice to the complex issues he has decided to tackle. If you wonder where our society might be headed you should read The Methuselarity Transformation.
Cleverly, Moskovitz’s social commentary and scientific insight add a timeless quality to the book, preventing it from feeling too anchored to a 2014-fueled mentality. The Methuselarity Transformation is socially conscious sci-fi, something we could use more of these days.